Winners and losers from the Falcons' preseason loss in Miami

The Atlanta Falcons lost to the Miami Dolphins 23-20 after their reserves collapsed in the second half.

Atlanta had some players with good showings, but they also had some forgettable performances that will have some asking to have their film from this game torched.

Winner: First-string Offense

The Falcons first-string offense came out swinging. They started strong after a great return from Andre Roberts brought them to the Miami 36. Matt Ryan looked like he was still in MVP form, and Devonta Freeman doesn’t show any signs of heavy pockets weighing him down.

Loser: second-string offensive tackles

D.J. Tialavea and Daniel Brunskill were having a ton of trouble holding up against the Miami backup defensive line. Atlanta was expecting them to be competent enough to give Matt Schaub and Matt Simms some time, but they had trouble holding up with the strength from Miami’s ends.

Winner: LB De’Vondre Campbell

De’Vondre Campbell seems to be adjusting to strong-side linebacker very well. He played the run effectively hitting his run fits like a mid-career veteran. Campball also player perfect zone defense in coverage and even came away with a clutch interception while Miami was driving.

Winner: OL Wes Schweitzer and Ben Garland

Both Wes Schweitzer and Ben Garland stone-walled Ndamukong Suh for a couple of plays each. Atlanta is in good hands at right guard if Suh was going at full speed. Chris Chester could never handle Suh and being able to trust a right guard to hold up in pass protection is very important.

Loser: QB Matt Simms

Third-stringer Matt Simms looks like a terrible quarterback that isn’t even a shell of his brother Chris. He’s mediocre and couldn’t connect with many wide receivers effectively. His poor day was to be expected, but it’s tough to justify him seeing a ton of reps later in the preseason.

Winner: WR Reggie Davis

When the Falcons roster spots are up for grabs in the preseason, there’s always a wide receiver who shows up and looks like he’s going to seize one of them. This year, it’s Reggie Davis. His 48-yard catch and 20-yard punt return were just flashes he showed similar to what he did in college.

Loser: CBs C.J. Goodwin and Jalen Collins

After having a good training camp, C.J. Goodwin was getting hyped to be a top corner for the Falcons. However, he got beat on a touchdown throw by the Dolphins’ third-string quarterback and just looked lost on the play. Jalen Collins has a suspension to his name and also got burned for a 99-yard touchdown by Damore’ea Stringfellow among a few other catches allowed.

Game MVP: RB Terron Ward

Terron Ward’s definitely putting his best film out there to try and get the third-string running back job. His 11 carries for 48 yards and a touchdown coupled with his three catches for 16 yards gave the Falcons the lead. Once he left the field, the Falcons offense started to stall out.